Best Odds Guaranteed — universally abbreviated to BOG — is one of the most consistently valuable promotions available to UK horse racing bettors. Unlike most bookmaker offers, which require a specific action or involve conditions that limit their practical use, BOG is automatic and works entirely in your favour: you either receive the price you took, or a higher price if the Starting Price drifted. You can never receive less.
Understanding exactly how BOG works, when it applies, what the key exclusions are, and how to use multiple accounts to compound its value will materially improve your long-term returns from horse racing betting.
What Is Best Odds Guaranteed?
Best Odds Guaranteed is a promotion offered by UKGC-licensed bookmakers on horse racing (and in some cases greyhound racing) that guarantees you the better of two prices on a winning bet:
- The early price you took when placing your bet
- The Starting Price (SP) — the official odds at the moment the race starts
If your horse wins and the SP was higher than the price you took, the bookmaker pays you out at SP. If the SP was lower than your early price, you keep the early price. Either way, you receive the better of the two.
BOG cannot hurt you. It only ever pays the same or more than the early price you accepted.
How BOG Works: The Mechanics
Early Price vs. Starting Price
Early price (EP) — the fixed odds offered by a bookmaker from morning markets onward. These are displayed from roughly 8:00–9:00 am on race day for most UK and Irish meetings and are the prices you lock in when placing a bet before the race.
Starting Price (SP) — the official odds for each horse at the moment of the off. The SP is derived from the weighted average of prices available across major bookmakers at that point and is broadly standardised across the industry.
Prices move between the early show and the off for two reasons: new information (horse fitness, going changes, market confidence) and betting volume (large money on one horse forces others to drift). A horse can move in either direction — steam in (shorten, drift down) or drift out (lengthen). BOG ensures you benefit from drift without losing your position if the price tightens.
The BOG Calculation
| Price You Took | SP at Off | BOG Settlement |
|---|---|---|
| 4/1 | 6/1 | Paid at 6/1 (SP is bigger) |
| 4/1 | 2/1 | Paid at 4/1 (early price is bigger) |
| 7/2 | 7/2 | Paid at 7/2 (prices equal) |
| 9/2 | 5/1 | Paid at 5/1 (SP is bigger) |
| 6/1 | 4/1 | Paid at 6/1 (early price is bigger) |
Worked Example: Why BOG Matters in Practice
Scenario: You back Teddy Brown at Wolverhampton at 4/1 (5.00) early in the morning. By the time the race starts, the market has moved and the SP is 6/1 (7.00) — the horse drifted in the market.
£20 stake, without BOG: Return = £20 × 5.00 = £100 (£80 profit)
£20 stake, with BOG: Return = £20 × 7.00 = £140 (£120 profit)
The BOG upgrade on a single winning bet at this price generates an additional £40 return — a 50% increase in profit on that bet.
Over a season of regular horse racing betting, these upgrades compound meaningfully. A BOG payout occurs on any winning bet where the horse drifted. In competitive handicaps and uncertain-weather meetings where significant market moves are common, BOG upgrades on winning bets can represent a substantial proportion of overall profit.
BOG and Each Way Bets
BOG applies to both the win and place portions of an each way bet at most bookmakers. If the SP is higher than your early price, both the win part and the place part of your each way bet are paid at SP.
Check the small print: A small number of operators apply BOG only to the win portion of an each way bet, not the place portion. This is clearly stated in their BOG terms and is worth checking before placing large each way bets at those operators.
What BOG Is Not: Common Misunderstandings
BOG Is Not the Same as Starting Price Betting
You can specifically request SP when placing a horse racing bet — this means you deliberately opt into receiving whatever the official price is at the off, rather than locking in a fixed early price. You might do this if you think the horse will shorten and you are comfortable waiting for the best available price at the off.
BOG and SP betting are different:
| BOG | SP Betting | |
|---|---|---|
| How you place | Fixed early price, BOG applied on settlement | Deliberately request SP at time of placing |
| What you receive | Better of early price or SP | SP only, regardless of earlier prices |
| When it helps | When the horse drifts | When you expect the horse to shorten |
| Risk | None — always pays the same or more than early price | Horse can shorten and you receive lower odds than were available early |
Taking an early price with BOG active is, in most circumstances, more advantageous than requesting SP — you get the floor of the early price with the ceiling of the SP.
BOG Does Not Apply Right Up to Kick-Off for Football
BOG is a horse racing (and greyhound racing) promotion. It does not exist as a standard feature for football, tennis, or other sports. Some bookmakers offer enhanced price guarantees on specific football matches, but these are distinct, individually marketed promotions rather than the systematic BOG that applies to racing.
BOG Terms and Exclusions: What to Check
BOG terms differ across bookmakers in ways that can materially affect its value. The key variables:
Activation Time
Most UKGC-licensed bookmakers activate BOG from 8:00 am on the day of the race. Some start later (9:00 am or 10:00 am), reducing the window in which morning early prices are covered. A handful — notably CopyBet — activate BOG from the moment a race is first priced up, which can mean the evening before for the following day’s racing.
Why activation time matters: The best early prices are often available in the first show, shortly after 8:00 am. A bookmaker whose BOG only activates at 10:00 am means bets placed in the first show at 8:00 am are not covered.
Race Coverage
Almost all BOG offers cover UK and Irish racing as standard. Coverage beyond this varies:
- Some operators extend to France, USA, or other international meetings
- Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Singapore, and Hong Kong are commonly excluded even at operators with broad international coverage
- Greyhound racing is included at some bookmakers (Coral, BetGoodwin, talkSPORT BET) but not all
Excluded Bet Types
BOG typically applies to win and each way bets on standard Win/E-W markets. Common exclusions include:
- Ante-post bets (placed before the race card is fully established — almost universally excluded)
- Tote/pools/Pari-Mutuel bets (independently priced, SP irrelevant)
- Multiples — most operators exclude Lucky 15s, Lucky 31s, and Lucky 63s from BOG. Betfred specifically excludes these named bets. Ladbrokes extends BOG to some multiples; CopyBet covers patents, trixies, and Lucky 15s.
- Enhanced prices / price boosts — if a bookmaker has separately enhanced a price, BOG may not apply on top
- Place only, Top Finish, Betting Without, and specialist markets are generally excluded
Daily and Per-Bet Caps
Some bookmakers cap the maximum BOG uplift per bet or per day:
- Ladbrokes: approximately £2,500 daily cap
- BetGoodwin: £1,000 per race cap
- Coral and VirginBet: £50,000 cap (generous in practice)
- BetVictor: £10,000 per customer cap
- Betfred: retail cap lower than online
For the vast majority of recreational and regular bettors, daily caps are not a practical constraint. For high-stakes players, the cap comparison matters.
BOG Across Bookmakers: A Quick Reference
This table covers the key BOG parameters at major UKGC-licensed bookmakers as of March 2026. Always verify current terms directly with the bookmaker before placing.
| Bookmaker | BOG Activation | Greyhounds | Multiples | Daily Cap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| bet365 | 8:00 am race day | No | No | None stated |
| Paddy Power | 8:00 am race day | No | No | None stated |
| Coral | Any time race day | Yes | No | £50,000 |
| Ladbrokes | 8:00 am race day | No | Some | ~£2,500 |
| William Hill | 8:00 am race day | Yes (selected) | No | None stated |
| Betfred | 8:00 am race day | No | No (excl. named bets) | None stated |
| BoyleSports | 8:00 am race day | No | No | None stated |
| BetVictor | Race day | No | No | £10,000 |
| CopyBet | From first show (prev. evening) | No | Yes (patents, trixies, Lucky 15s) | None stated |
| Sky Bet | 9:00 am race day | No | No | None stated |
| 888Sport | Any time race day | No | No | None stated |
Terms correct at time of writing. Subject to change. Verify directly with each bookmaker.
How to Maximise BOG Value
1. Have Accounts at Multiple BOG Bookmakers
The best early price on any given horse will vary by operator. A horse priced at 6/1 at one bookmaker might be 7/1 at another on the same morning. If both bookmakers offer BOG, you should take the 7/1 — you get the benefit of the better early price floor and the SP upgrade if the horse drifts further. Taking the lower early price and relying on BOG to rescue it is leaving value on the table.
As one experienced Racing Post analyst put it, a punter who takes 6/1 about a winner that returns at SP 7/2 still wins more than one who took 9/2 — with or without BOG. Price sensitivity remains important even under BOG.
2. Target Early Morning Prices
The first show after 8:00 am often contains the most attractive early prices before the market tightens as betting volume increases toward the off. Bookmakers offer competitive morning prices to attract early business. Using BOG from 8:00 am lets you take advantage of that competitive window without the risk of the price drifting before you back the horse.
3. Use BOG Particularly at Major Meetings
The Cheltenham Festival, Grand National, Royal Ascot, and other major fixtures attract enormous betting volumes that can swing prices significantly between early morning and the off. Horses backed with confidence early at major meetings can drift substantially if the market finds reasons for caution — ground changes, whispers about fitness, money for other runners. BOG at these meetings provides substantial insurance.
4. Check BOG Is Active Before Placing
BOG is applied automatically at most operators once the activation window is open, but some accounts can be excluded from BOG promotions due to trading patterns or previous activity. If you are a consistent BOG-winning customer, some bookmakers reserve the right to restrict or remove the offer. Check that your account still qualifies, particularly if you have not used an operator’s BOG recently.
5. Ante-Post Bets Do Not Qualify
Ante-post bets — placed days, weeks, or months before a race — are excluded from BOG at all operators. If you back a Cheltenham Festival horse in January, you take the ante-post price and receive that price if the horse wins, regardless of whether the SP is higher at the off. BOG only applies to same-day bets once the race-day market opens.
BOG and Betfair Exchange
Betfair Exchange does not offer BOG. The exchange is a peer-to-peer market where you bet against other bettors rather than against a bookmaker. Because there is no bookmaker setting odds, the BOG mechanism — which involves a bookmaker guaranteeing to pay the higher of two prices — has no equivalent. The exchange provides competitive odds through market forces, but without the BOG safety net.
For serious horse racing bettors, the standard approach is to use both: BOG bookmakers for taking early prices on fancied selections and the exchange for laying purposes, accessing best available back prices, or betting in-running.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is BOG available on every race?
Not always. BOG applies to most UK and Irish flat and jump racing at all standard meetings. Some bookmakers exclude international meetings entirely. Greyhound coverage varies. Always look for the BOG badge or confirmation in the race card before assuming it applies.
What if the SP is the same as the price I took?
You receive the price you took. BOG only triggers when the SP is strictly higher than your early price. When the prices are equal, no upgrade applies and you are paid at your original odds.
Does BOG apply to in-play bets?
No. BOG applies to bets placed before the race on early fixed-odds prices. In-play betting on horse racing is very limited in the UK due to the speed of racing, and BOG is not relevant to in-play markets.
What is the difference between BOG and Best Price Guaranteed (BPG)?
Some bookmakers use the term Best Price Guaranteed (BPG) rather than BOG. The mechanics are identical — you receive the better of your early price or the SP. The terminology difference is purely cosmetic.
Can I combine BOG with free bets?
Generally, no. BOG upgrades typically apply only to bets placed with real money stakes. If a bookmaker settles a free bet at SP and the SP is higher than the available early price, some operators will apply the SP to the free bet settlement — but the BOG terms vary. Check the specific operator’s free bet terms.
Sources: Racing Post; Oddschecker; OLBG; individual bookmaker terms and conditions. All terms correct as of March 2026 and subject to change. Verify current BOG terms directly with each bookmaker before placing.
Related reading on online-betting.org:
- → Rule 4 Deductions Explained: How They Affect Your Horse Racing Winnings (2026)
- → What Does ‘Accept All Odds Movement’ Mean? A UK Bettor’s Guide (2026)
- → Free Bets and Betting Offers UK 2026: What They’re Actually Worth